Bring out the best
by coockie8
Summary: You know how they say a baby can bring out the best in almost everyone? After a moment of desperate passion, Daryl finds himself with an unexpected problem. Filled with dread and confusion he finds himself desperately trying to hide an unexpected pregnancy from Merle. Rated M. Smut. Incest. Mpreg. Depression and self harm.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It was a pretty uneventful day, that Daryl had chosen to spend in his cell; sharpening his knife. He absently chewed his bottom lip and blankly stared down at the blade as he sharpened it. He glanced up when someone cleared their throat; Merle was leaning against the door, watching Daryl sharpen the knife.

"Hey Merle, what's up?"

He asked while turning his attention back to the knife, Merle walked into Daryl cell and sat down next to him

"Whatcha doin'?"

He asked; an awkward attempt at conversation. Daryl let a small smirk slip

"What's it look like?"

He chuckled. Merle shrugged and leaned back; arm behind him to support his weight

"I know what yer doin',"

He chuckled. Daryl smirked and placed the knife back in its sheath before tossing it elsewhere and turning his full attention to his brother

"So…. You got a reason fer comin' to see me?"

He asked. Merle shrugged

"I need a reason to come see my baby brother?"

He asked teasingly. Daryl shrugged

"Guess not,"

He mumbled while leaning back. Merle smirked and sat up to wrapped his arm around Daryl's shoulders, Daryl smiled slightly and leaned into the touch with a small sigh. Merle removed his arm from Daryl and stood up

"So you plan to just sit in here all day?"

He asked as he stretched. Daryl shrugged

"Don't have much else to do,"

He mumbled. Merle smirked and tugged Daryl up by his shirt

"C'mon, you're gonna walk the prison with me,"

It wasn't a question. Daryl smirked and followed Merle out of his cell and through the prison. The two walked through the prison in a comfortable silence before entering the boiler room. Merle stopped and leaned against the wall; staring at Daryl. Daryl stared back

"Somethin' wrong?"

He asked. Merle shook his head and smirked

"Not at all,"

He assured before standing straight

"How long's it been?"

He asked. Daryl cocked an eyebrow

"Since what?"

He asked. Merle smirked and chuckled

"You know, since you had sex?"

He elaborated. Daryl cleared his throat and turned his head to hide the faint blush; he knew there was no way Merle's intentions on coming down here had been pure.

"A while,"

He answered truthfully. Merle's joking, amused smirk turned lustful

"Oh yeah?"

He purred while stepping closer to Daryl

"How long's a while?"

He finished. Daryl swallowed thickly and the blush deepened as his body heated up

"Not since Shane died…."

He muttered. Merle snickered

"You were screwin' Shane?"

He purred possessively. Daryl bit his lower lip as Merle clasped his left hand around the back of his neck

"Y-Yeah; after you disappeared,"

He hated how Merle could make him melt and sound so weak. Merle kissed Daryl's neck

"How long after?"

He breathed against Daryl's sensitive skin. Daryl shivered

"Uh… 1…. Maybe 2 weeks,"

He stammered. Merle bit Daryl's neck; causing said man to yelp

"You had no trouble movin' on,"

Merle hissed. Daryl whimpered

"S-Sorry,"

He choked out. Merle pulled back and smirked at the blushing, panting mush he'd reduced his brother too. Daryl nervously chewed his bottom lip under Merle's intense gaze

"Are ya mad?"

He whimpered. Merle leaned in and placed a firm kiss to Daryl's lips; one that Daryl eagerly returned. Merle wrapped his arms around Daryl's waist and pulled the younger flush against his body; pushing his erection against Daryl's thigh. Daryl broke the kiss to catch his breath and he rubbed his thigh against the tent in Merle's jeans

"Need some help, brother?"

He purred before biting his lip and dropping to his knees; rubbing his cheek against the bulge in his brothers pants. Merle groaned and tangled his hand in Daryl's hair while humping against his brothers cheek, Daryl stared up at him while reaching up to grab the metal stump that covered Merle's self mutilation. Merle tugged on Daryl's hair

"C'mon, get me outta my pants, boy,"

He ordered. Daryl let go of Merle's arm and pulled away to undo his older brother's pants and pull the throbbing erection out of his boxers. Daryl smirked as he ran his tongue up the length of it before sliding it into his mouth and sucking generously on the shaft. Merle let out a content sigh as he gently rocked his hips back and forth as Daryl sucked and licked his cock.

"That's good, you got better,"

Merle praised. Daryl looked up at him and moaned around the shaft; since Merle had disappeared, the only person Daryl had been with was Shane, and Shane hadn't exactly been one for kind words, so the praise was a very welcome change. Daryl pulled away to kiss the head before looking up at Merle

"We actually gonna fuck this time, or are you gonna come up with another stupid excuse as to why we can't?"

He teased. Merle playfully smacked Daryl in the head

"How 'bout you put that mouth to better use,"

He chuckled. Daryl smirked and slid Merle's erection back into his mouth; taking in as much as he could before gagging. Merle jerked his hips forward; causing Daryl to gag, but he didn't pull away. Daryl pulled back so just the head was in his mouth and he sucked harshly, Merle groaned and smirked as he pulled on Daryl's hair

"Geez, sometimes I think you like this more than I do,"

He chuckled hoarsely. Daryl glanced up at Merle as he took the entire length into his mouth; gagging as it slipped into his throat. Merle tugged on Daryl's hair again

"Don't hurt yourself, baby brother,"

He worried. Daryl pulled back and coughed heavily

"I just wanted to see if I could,"

He whined while looking up at Merle. Merle smirked and corded his fingers through Daryl's hair

"You really wanna?"

He asked. Daryl smiled

"I've wanted to since we first started messin' around,"

He purred while standing; pushing Merle's open button shirt off. Merle smirked at the excitement in Daryl's eyes. Daryl pulled his own shirt off before unbuckling his belt and dropping his pants and boxers. Merle cocked an eyebrow before pulling Daryl into a heated kiss

"So eager,"

He purred after pulling away. Daryl whimpered and rubbed his leaking erection against Merle's clothed thigh as he pulled Merle's wife beater off.

"I missed you,"

Daryl breathed. Merle smirked as Daryl stripped his lower half as well

"So much,"

Daryl finished before deeply kissing Merle. Merle slid his hand down Daryl stomach before wrapping it around his waist and groping Daryl's butt, Daryl yelped and jerked his hips forward; grabbing the metal stump.

"So how you wanna do this?"

Merle asked while rubbing two fingers against Daryl's entrance. Daryl whimpered and pushed back against the fingers

"I… I like it from the front,"

Daryl purred. Merle smirked and pushed a finger into Daryl's tight opening, the younger whimpered and his knees buckled. Merle tightened his arms grip on Daryl's waist before gently lowering him to the floor.

"You alright, little brother?"

Merle worried while pushing his finger fully into Daryl. Daryl whimpered and nodded his head

"Y-Yeah; it's just been a while,"

He assured. Merle pushed a second finger into Daryl and began to thrust his fingers in and out of the younger male

"Just tell me if I hurt you,"

Merle offered. Daryl nodded before his body tensed and he yelped

"Right there,"

He notified; voice cracking slightly. Merle smirked and slammed his fingers into Daryl's prostate, Daryl moaned loudly before biting down on his hand to silence himself. Merle smirked and slipped in a third finger before scissoring them; Daryl yelped and clamped down on his older brothers fingers. Merle smirked and tugged his fingers free before positioning himself between Daryl's legs

"You ready, little brother?"

He purred. Daryl grinned and nodded; Merle smirked and started to push into Daryl. Daryl's grin faded as he bit his lip

"D-Damn, you're so big,"

He whimpered as Merle stretched him beyond his limits. Merle passionately kissed Daryl as he sheathed his length into the younger male; Daryl whimpered into the kiss and heavily breathed through his nose. Merle broke the kiss and held still

"Just tell me when to move,"

He informed. Daryl nodded and panted heavily and wrapped his arms around Merle's neck

"O-Okay, you can move now,"

Daryl assured. Merle nodded and started to slowly thrust in and out of Daryl; rubbing his nipple with the cool metal of his stump. Daryl yelped and flinched

"Th-that's cold,"

He cooed. Merle smirked

"I know; that's why I did it,"

He purred while picking up the pace slightly; brushing against Daryl's prostate. Daryl yelped before moaning and rocking his hips in time with Merle's careful thrusts

"M-More, harder,"

Daryl moaned. Merle smirked and complied; ramming into Daryl with brutal force, making sure to hit his prostate with every brutal thrust. Daryl arched his back and cried out from the pleasure while digging his nails into Merle's back. Merle groaned at the small pricks of pain and he leaned forward to suck on Daryl's right nipple while continuing to tease the left one with his metal stump. Daryl humped into time with Merle's brutal thrusts

"I… I don't think I can hold out much longer~,"

Daryl moaned loudly. Merle panted heavily at the feeling of Daryl's muscle clamping down on his length

"I hate to say it…. But I'm close too,"

Merle panted. Daryl chewed his bottom lip as Merle wrapped his hand around his length and pumped in time with his erratic thrusting. Daryl arched his back and screamed Merle's name as he came, Merle came a few seconds after with a growl of Daryl's name. Daryl slumped back and panted heavily before giggling slightly and pulling Merle into a desperate, loving kiss. Merle chuckled into the kiss before pulling out of Daryl and lying down next to him

"Didya like that?"

Merle chuckled. Daryl cuddled up to Merle's chest

"That was amazin',"

He purred. Merle Smiled and wrapped his arm around Daryl

"We should probably go back to your cell; don't want anybody to catch us,"

He suggested. Daryl looked up at him and chuckled

"Yeah, but uh…. I can't feel my legs,"

He nervously chuckled. Merle laughed before getting up and dressing himself then Daryl

"It's alright; I can carry you,"

He chuckled while shaking his head before lifting Daryl onto his back and heading back to Daryl's cell.


	2. A little morning story time

Chapter 1: A little morning story time

Daryl woke up the next morning cuddled up to his older brother's chest. He smiled softly to himself and nuzzled Merle's thick chest hair

"You awake, little brother?"

Merle's sleep-thick voice asked softly. Daryl cooed quietly before nodding

"Yeah, I'm up,"

He mumbled. Merle squeezed his shoulders before running his fingers through Daryl's hair

"You sleep good?"

He asked. Daryl smiled again and nodded

"Oh yeah; best sleep I've had in a _long _time,"

He purred while nuzzling Merle's chest again. Merle chuckled

"Good,"

He sighed. Daryl lifted his head and looked at Merle

"You alright?"

He asked with a small frown. Merle looked at him

"Yeah, why?"

He responded, Daryl shrugged

"You seem real… Calm,"

He mumbled. Merle smirked and closed his eyes again

"That a problem?"

He teased. Daryl shook his head

"Not a problem, just…. Weird,"

He mumbled sleepily. Merle continued to run his fingers through Daryl's hair

"You ain't sore from last night, are ya?"

He asked. Daryl looked up at Merle

"Don't know; haven't tried to move yet,"

He chuckled. Merle smirked

"Well, give it a shot,"

He suggested. Daryl shrugged then nodded before sitting up; flinching from the action

"Alright, yeah; I'm a tad sore,"

He chuckled tensely. Merle sat up and kissed Daryl's shoulder blade

"Guess I was a bit too rough, huh?"

He mumbled apologetically. Daryl looked back at him

"Don't worry about it,"

He assured. Merle shrugged

"Alright, baby brother,"

He teased before pulling Daryl into a longing kiss. Daryl smiled into the kiss and hummed after Merle pulled back

"So, care to tell me about this whole business with Shane after I went missing?"

Merle asked; tone a little less than friendly. Daryl flinched slightly; half hoping Merle had forgotten about that.

"Oh yeah; that….."

He mumbled awkwardly before shrugging

"It wasn't much; just sex when we both needed it,"

He explained. Merle leaned back

"I'd like to hear about it,"

He pushed. Daryl shrugged

"There ain't much to talk about,"

He mumbled. Merle sat up

"Was it good, did he hurt you ever?"

He spat. Daryl flinched

"Yeah, it was good. Yeah, he'd…. _hurt _me, so to speak,"

He shrugged; a deep blush forming on his cheeks. Merle's eyes narrowed

"What 'ya mean by 'so to speak'?"

He growled. Daryl shrugged again

"You know….. Hair pullin' and spankin' and stuff,"

He mumbled. Merle chewed the inside of his cheek

"You like that shit?"

He asked. Daryl's blush deepened

"Yeah, a bit,"

He answered awkwardly. Merle nodded

"Interestin',"

He mumbled absently. Daryl chewed his bottom lip

"You mad?"

He worried. Merle looked back at Daryl

"Well… Shane's dead, so I guess not,"

He decided. Merle leaned back again

"Tell me about the first time it happened; I'm curious,"

It wasn't a question. Daryl blushed again but nodded anyway; taking a deep breath before beginning to tell the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~StoryTime~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a week or so since Merle had gone missing from the rooftop; Daryl was depressed but kept it well hidden. Daryl, however, wasn't the only one feeling a little down in the dumps at the time; with the return of Rick, Shane's access to Lori had been brutally cut off and he was beginning to feel the, now pent up, sexual frustration of his current situation. Daryl sat in his tent, fairly secluded from the rest of the group, and silently chewed his finger nails. He glanced up from blankly staring at the floor when Shane welcomed himself into to the tent Daryl was supposed to sharing with his, currently missing, older brother.

"The hell you want?"

Daryl growled. Shane glanced around the tent

"Just wanted to see how you were holdin' up,"

He shrugged before sitting down across from Daryl. Daryl eyed him suspiciously but otherwise welcomed the company

"I'm holdin' up just fine,"

He spat dangerously before going back to chewing his nails. Shane reached forward and grabbed Daryl's wrist; pulling the others hand away from his mouth

"Don't do that; it's disgusting,"

Shane scolded. Daryl scoffed but did as he was told and kept his hands away from his mouth; opting to chew his bottom lip instead. Shane's eyes focused on the way Daryl innocently suckled and chewed on his bottom lip, Shane let out a nervous half chuckle as his pants began to tighten. Daryl glared up at him

"What?"

He snapped. Shane moved forward and cupped his hand around the base of Daryl's neck before pulling the younger male into a heated kiss. Daryl attempted to jerk away, but only succeeded in deepening the kiss as Shane pushed him to the floor. Daryl whimpered when Shane lodged a knee against his groin and roughly rubbed it against his unresponsive cock. Shane broke the kiss and stared lustfully down at Daryl

"You think I don't know 'bout you and yer brother?"

Shane purred. Daryl whimpered and bit his lip; all fight instantly draining out of him as his blood ran cold. Although He and merle had never actually had sex, they'd still messed around some, and that was _not_ something Daryl wanted the rest of the group knowing. He normally didn't give a shit what other people thought of him; but an incestuous relationship with his bigot older brother was something entirely different, sure laws didn't exactly apply anymore, but there was nothing stopping them from kicking him to the curb if they found out. Daryl averted his eyes; silently submitting to Shane, he knew he wouldn't make it far completely on his own.

"Good boy,"

Shane purred before kissing up and down Daryl's neck. The younger male whimpered at the feeling and his pants began to tighten from the attention; it wasn't like it had only been a week, he and Merle hadn't done much for a while before that, so the attention was quite welcome, despite the guilt whelming up in the back of Daryl's mind. It had been maybe a week since Merle had gone missing and here Daryl was screwing around with some other guy already. Shane pulled away to tug on Daryl's shirt

"C'mon boy, strip,"

Shane ordered before stroking the _very _obvious tent in his jeans. Daryl cleared his throat and sat up to unbuckle his belt and pull off his pants and boxer. He nervously chewed his lip as he toyed with the hem of his shirt; he wasn't even comfortable being naked around his own brother; let alone some other guy he just _barely _knew.

"C'mon now, don't make me wait all day,"

Shane purred hotly; obviously taking Daryl's hesitation as some form of teasing. Daryl swallowed thickly before finally pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside

"Th-there, happy now?"

Daryl mentally cursed himself for stuttering. Shane smirked

"Very,"

He purred before taking his hand away from his cock to pull his own shirt off. Daryl bit his bottom lip at the site of Shane's toned body. Shane smirked as he unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants and boxers off; taking his impressive erection in his hand and stroking it as he locked eyes with Daryl

"Like what you see?"

Shane purred. Daryl blushed and tore his eyes away from Shane's thick, hard cock

"Sh-shut up,"

He snapped. Shane chuckled and reached forward; wrapping his hand around the back of Daryl neck and pulling him forward onto his hands and knees; shoving the others face against his cock

"You better make it good,"

Shane hissed. Daryl whimpered but did as instructed and began to suck on the base of Shane's cock before running his tongue up the shaft and taking the head into his mouth; suckling lightly. Merle didn't usually let Daryl go down on him; something about Daryl's offensively sensitive gag reflex and Merle not wanting to return the favor, so Daryl wasn't particularly good at it. He'd done it with Merle once and nearly thrown up when it hit the back of his throat, so he understood when Merle bitched about his gag reflex. Shane tangled his fingers into Daryl's hair and roughly pulled; causing Daryl to yelp.

"Don't be such a pansy and actually suck, you little bitch,"

Shane spat. Daryl whimpered and started taking more into his mouth; not exactly remembering where his limit was, it having been such a long time. Daryl's body lurched and he violently gagged when the tip touched the back of his throat, he quickly pulled off and coughed heavily. Shane scoffed and pulled Daryl's hair back; forcing him to look back up before Shane slapped his lips with his cock.

"That was fuckin' pathetic,"

He insulted. Daryl suppressed a whimper and the urge to whine about it not being his fault and that he just wasn't used to it. Shane slapped the wet head of his cock against Daryl's cheek before rubbing it against his lips again

"At least lick it, 'cause I ain't preppin' you,"

Shane informed harshly. Daryl took the head back into his mouth and suckled on it again; trying to get it as wet as possible before Shane decided it was time to fuck. Shane pulled Daryl's hair again before pushing him further down his length; ramming the head against the back of Daryl's throat. Daryl jerked back and away from Shane; despite the pain it caused to pull his hair out of Shane's grip, and coughed violently while holding his stomach in a desperate attempt to not puke. Shane chuckled and the sight of Daryl's glistening saliva on his leaking erection

"On your hands and knees, slut,"

Shane ordered while slapping Daryl's thigh. Daryl weakly glared up at Shane but did as ordered and propped himself up on his hands and knees; self-consciously glancing back at Shane, hoping the older male wouldn't make any comments about his scars. Shane delicately ran his fingers over the many scars that littered Daryl's back before leaning forward to lick up an especially bad one. Daryl shivered at the sudden gentle touches; Shane was bi-polar, that much Daryl was convinced. Shane gently ran his hands over Daryl's back and shoulder's while rubbing his saliva slick cock against Daryl's butt

"Who hurt ya?"

Shane asked while moving his hands back down to spread Daryl's cheeks; slipping his cock between them to rub against the other's puckered entrance. Daryl's breathing picked up when it really hit him that this was happening. A sudden hard strike to his ass caused Daryl to yelp

"I asked you a question, boy,"

Shane snapped; yup, definitely bi-polar.

"D-Daddy,"

Daryl stammered out his answer

"My daddy,"

He elaborated; before Shane could get the idea that Daryl had some weird kink. Shane gently caressed the red mark that had formed where he'd hit

"Oh yeah? Did he fuck you too?"

Shane purred as he pulled back slightly to push the tip against Daryl's entrance. Daryl nearly choked at the question and felt tears sting his eyes at the memory, but forced himself not to cry. Shane ran his fingers over Daryl's scars again before unexpectedly slamming his cock all the way into to Daryl. Daryl's eyes went wide and his arms gave out; he bit his knuckle to keep from screaming. He let out a pathetic whimper from the pain and his eyes shot open when Shane started to move

"N-No, wait! Just gimme a sec, please!"

He begged desperately. Shane scoffed but did as asked and held still, Daryl breathed in short, shaky puffs as he tried to force himself to get used to the agonizing burn in his ass.

"Y-You coulda been a bit kinder,"

Daryl whimpered; tears freely falling from his eyes now. Shane began to rock his hips back and forth, Daryl's breath hitched from the pain but he chose to ignore it; he just kept telling himself it would get better, just tough it out, it'll get better. He took in deep, heavy breaths as he tried to relax, even though he knew the wetness dripping down his thighs was definitely not spit. Shane angled downward slightly and rocked into a spot that made Daryl tense and his breath hitch for a whole other reason. He let out his breath in a slow, shaky sigh as he began to rock back against Shane. Shane took that as the 'ok' to just go to town, and he began to brutally fuck Daryl into the floor. Daryl couldn't help but let out pained yelps into between the gasps and moans of pleasure; Shane wasn't hitting his prostate dead on, so it still hurt whenever he'd miss, which was quite often at this brutal pace.

"You like that, you little slut?"

Shane gasped out hoarsely. Daryl cried out and arched his back

"God yes~!"

He nearly screamed. Shane smirked and smacked Daryl's ass again

"You're so fucking tight…. Like a virgin,"

Shane groaned while letting his head fall back. Daryl brought one hand underneath himself to jerk his cock in time to Shane's thrusts

"More,"

Daryl pleaded. Shane slapped Daryl's ass again and leaned forward to lick up his spine before sucking on a rather sensitive scar on Daryl's shoulder blade. Daryl arched his back and cried out in ecstasy as his orgasm tore through him. His muscles clamped down and twitched around Shane's cock, which ultimately threw him over the edge as well. Shane came with a shout as he emptied himself into Daryl. Daryl flinched and whimpered at the sting of Shane's cum in the open wounds in his ass. Shane pulled out of Daryl and used the others shirt to clean himself off before getting dressed. Daryl's throat clenched and he choked slightly; not only had he betrayed Merle, but he'd just been used like some common cum-slut. He took a deep breath and grabbed his shirt; ignoring the cum that was smeared all over it, and put it back on before slipping back into his pants and boxers, he lied down and curled into a tight ball on the floor as he forced himself not to cry. He flinched when he felt someone cuddle up against his back

"Ssh, Ssh, it's alright,"

It was Shane. Daryl sniffled; not knowing what to think anymore, and turned around to cuddle up to Shane's chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~StoryTimeOver~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daryl took a deep breath as he finished explaining to Merle what had happened; yeah, his and Shane's first time hadn't been exactly _willing _on his part, but he'd gotten used to it after awhile. Merle wasn't looking at Daryl; his attention was focused on his lap as he nodded slightly.

"He raped you,"

Merle stated. Daryl bit his lip

"No, I was okay with it,"

He explained. Merle shook his head

"Only 'cause he had dirt on you,"

He growled. Daryl smiled and sat in between Merle's legs

"It's over now and Shane's dead, so don't get all pissed off for nothin', alright?"

Daryl cooed before kissing Merle's neck. That got his attention, Merle smirked down at Daryl

"Not too sore for a mornin' romp?"

Merle purred. Daryl rubbed his erection against Merle's stomach

"What 'ya think?"

Daryl drawled teasingly. Merle flipped their positions so he was hovering over Daryl and sealed their lips in a heated, passionate kiss before unbuckling Daryl's jeans.


	3. Something wrong and unsatisfied

Chapter 2: Something wrong

Daryl stayed in bed; Merle had left a little while ago after Rick had called on him. Daryl sighed heavily and absently ran his hand over his stomach as he closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the ceiling. He sat up and got up; walking out of his cell, heading to look for Merle.

"Merle!"

Daryl called while walking into the meeting area. Maggie, Glenn, and Beth looked up at him

"He's not in here, Daryl, sorry,"

Glenn notified. Daryl sighed and nodded; leaving the room. He walked out to the outside walk path and smiled when he saw Rick and Merle. Daryl walked closer to he was in ear shot

"I heard the two of you last night in the boiler room, and again this morning,"

Rick started. Daryl's breath hitched

"Yeah, so what?"

Merle hissed. Daryl looked to the floor as Rick put his hand on Merle's shoulder

"Let's make this clear; I don't have a problem with it, you and your brother can do whatever you want, but I'd appreciate it if you guys could keep in on the down low. I don't need my son asking about somethin' like that, and I don't need my daughter growin' up thinkin' its okay,"

He explained. Merle nodded

"Alright, I get it,"

He assured. Rick nodded and patted Merle's shoulder before heading off in the other direction, Merle turned towards Daryl

"Hey, cutie,"

He teased before walking over to Daryl. Daryl smiled and looked back up at Merle

"Rick's alright with it?"

He asked. Merle draped an arm over Daryl's shoulder

"Yeah, he's alright with it, just doesn't want his kids seein', is all,"

He assured. Daryl nuzzled Merle's neck before kissing the other's jaw

"So, you doin' anything today?"

Daryl asked. Merle shook his head

"You're friend Rick doesn't trust me doin' anything yet. Do you have watch?"

He asked. Daryl shook his head

"No, that's Maggie and Glenn today,"

He muttered while absently running his hand over his stomach. Merle cocked an eyebrow at Daryl's strange little hand quirk, but otherwise ignored it. Merle pulled Daryl and walked back towards their cell block.

Daryl sighed heavily and flopped down on the bed; Merle lied down next to him and wrapped his arms around him

"You alright?"

Merle asked. Daryl looked at him

"What 'ya mean?"

He asked. Merle ran his hand down Daryl's body to rub over his stomach

"You kept touching your stomach before,"

He elaborated. Daryl frowned and shrugged

"I don't know, just got this urge or something,"

He explained. Merle snickered before kissing Daryl's forehead

"Read a book once, said women do that when they're pregnant but to early on to know,"

He joked. Daryl punched his arm

"I ain't no chick,"

He snapped. Merle chuckled before running his fingers through Daryl's hair; Daryl hummed happily and rested his head against Merle's chest. Merle squeezed Daryl's shoulder

"You tired?"

He asked softly. Daryl hummed and nodded

"Yeah,"

He sighed contently before nuzzling Merle's neck

"Hungry too, I should go eat somethin',"

He mumbled. Merle pushed Daryl off his chest

"I'll get you somethin', stay here,"

He assured. Daryl waved his hand in the air before dropping his arm back down and nuzzling the pillow, Merle smiled and chuckled before heading out of the cell to find food for Daryl. Merle wandered down the stairs to where the group usually gathered to eat and nodded at Carol

"Got anythin' to eat? Daryl's hungry,"

He asked. She smiled

"Yeah, I'll make him up a sandwich,"

She offered. Merle nodded and sat down as he waited; staring the cell he and Daryl now shared. Carol watched Merle intently as she made the sandwich for Daryl

"You seem worried; is something wrong?"

She asked. Merle passed her a glance before turning back towards the cell

"Don't know; just got a funny feelin',"

He shrugged. Something was off…. He just didn't know what. Carol put the plate with the sandwich down in front of Merle and smiled

"Is Daryl sick?"

She asked. Merle shrugged

"If he is, he hasn't told me,"

He mumbled while grabbing the plate and heading back to the cell. Merle walked back into the cell and cocked an eyebrow at Daryl's sleeping form; setting the plate down on the top bunk and sitting down next to Daryl. Merle smirked and combed his fingers through Daryl's hair

"What's wrong with you, baby brother?"

Merle whispered under his breath. Daryl hummed and shifted before opening his eyes and glancing up at Merle

"You say somethin', brother?"

He asked sleepily. Merle smiled and shook his head

"Nah; didn't say nothin'. I got you food,"

He reached up and grabbed the plate; handing it down to Daryl. Daryl grabbed the plate and sat up before he started eating. Merle watched Daryl as he ate and dropped his eyes down to his brother stomach before reaching over and laying his hand against it. Daryl stopped eating mid-bite and looked over at Merle

"Somethin' wrong?"

He asked after swallowing; staring down at the hand on his stomach. Merle pulled his hand away

"No, nothin',"

He muttered before lying back. Daryl watched him in confusion as he continued eating

"Ya sure?"

He pushed; voice muffled from talking with his mouth full. Merle chuckled

"Yeah, I'm sure,"

He nodded while rubbing Daryl's back

"Go back to sleep after yer finished eatin',"

Merle weakly ordered. Daryl chuckled

"Alright; whatever you say Merle,"

He agreed before finishing eating and lying down

"Yer gonna stay with me, right?"

He purred innocently; although his eyes screamed anything other than innocence. Merle smirked and lied down next to Daryl; kissing him heatedly

"What'chu want, boy?"

Merle purred after breaking the kiss. Daryl bit his lip

"I don't know what I want; just…. Have yer way with me,"

He whimpered. Merle smirked

"Alright, but you gotta keep quiet,"

He reminded. Daryl bit his lip and nodded, Merle smirked before kissing Daryl's neck. Daryl whimpered and wrapped his arms around Merle's neck while grinding his hips against the others. Merle smirked and quickly stripped before doing the same to his brother and kissing him again.

"You been pretty damn horny lately, little brother,"

Merle purred. Daryl chewed his lip and stared up at Merle

"I missed ya,"

He whimpered. Merle smirked while curling his arms around Daryl's knees and pushing his legs back before slowly entering Daryl. Said man flinched and bit his lip

"I swear; I'll never get used to your size,"

Daryl strained. Merle nibbled on his neck while sheathing himself inside him; rocking his hips gently, Daryl moaned when the tip of Merle's dick brushed against his prostate

"Harder,"

Daryl whimpered. Merle smirked and straightened his back while picking up the pace; hitting Daryl's prostate with every thrust

"Like that?"

He purred. Daryl dropped his arms to grip the pillow and moan, Merle leaned forward and kissed him to shut him up.

"What did I say 'bout bein' loud?"

He warned while speeding up. Daryl bit down on his hand and whined; teeth breaking the skin and drawing blood. Merle sucked and bit a spot just under Daryl's jaw; forming a dark hickey. Daryl reached up to grab Merle's shoulder; digging his nails into his brother skin. Merle smirked; wrapping a hand around Daryl's leaking erection and pumping it in time with his hard, fast thrusts. Daryl arched his back and came with a desperately silenced cry. Merle groaned quietly as he came deep inside Daryl, he pulled out and flopped down next to Daryl

"Satisfied yet?"

He chuckled. Daryl hummed happily before cuddling up to Merle

"Not yet,"

He purred; humping against Merle's leg. Merle chuckled and kissed Daryl's neck before getting back up and kneeling over Daryl.


	4. The Run

Chapter 3: The Run

Merle stared down at Daryl as the younger male nuzzled his chest as he slept. It had been about a month since they first had sex and Merle couldn't help but notice that Daryl seemed to be almost….. Glowing. Merle smiled and ran his fingers trough Daryl's hair before gently moving him of his chest and standing; heading out of the cell to go find Rick. After a rather uneventful conversation with the group leader, Merle returned to his and Daryl's cell, only to find it empty. Merle frowned and looked around in confusion before turning and heading to find Daryl

"Carol, have you seen Daryl?"

Merle asked once seeing the woman. She looked up at him

"Actually yeah; I saw him run off towards the bathroom a few minutes ago,"

She smiled. Merle nodded and heading towards the bathroom, he frowned at the sound of heaving as he approached the bathroom. He turned the corner and walked inside, Merle rushed over to Daryl's form hunched over a toilet. He dropped to his knees and rubbed Daryl's back

"You okay, little brother?"

He worried. Daryl coughed then groaned and looked up at Merle

"I'll be alright, just not feelin' so hot right now,"

He assured before turning his head away to throw up again. Merle continued to rub Daryl's back

"Did you eat somethin' bad?"

Merle asked. Daryl pulled away from the toilet after flushing and groaned

"Don't think so; didn't eat much at all yesterday,"

He explained before lying on his side and resting his head in Merle's lap

"I feel like shit,"

He groaned. Merle combed his fingers through Daryl's hair

"s'alright, yer gonna be okay,"

He assured. Daryl hummed and nuzzled Merle's stomach

"I hope so,"

He mumbled while clutching his stomach. Daryl frowned then pushed himself up onto wobbly legs; he would have fallen over had Merle not been there to steady him.

"Easy now, little brother,"

Merle soothed before helping Daryl walk back to their shared cell. Daryl immediately flopped down on the bed and curled into a ball once they arrived, Merle sighed heavily and sat down next to him; rubbing his back gently.

"Want me to make ask Carol if we got any nausea medicine?"

Merle asked. Daryl shook his head

"I looked already; we don't,"

He mumbled. Merle frowned

"Want me to make a run?"

He offered. Daryl turned to look at him and bit his lip before nodding

"Yeah; take Glenn with you, and uh… Give him this,"

He agreed while sitting up and jotting down a quick note; handing it to Merle.

"And could you uh…. Lie and say one a' the girls gave it to you?"

He mumbled. Merle nodded

"a'right,"

He assured before ruffling Daryl's hair and heading out of the cell. Merle chewed the inside of his cheek; didn't know what the note was, and Daryl was obviously ashamed of it… Which girl could he say? He accidentally bumped shoulders with Michonne; which snapped him out of his trance. He grabbed her arm

"Hey, can I ask you somethin'?"

He started. She looked at him suspiciously

"What?"

She muttered. Merle rubbed the back of his head

"If Glenn asks, do you mind tellin' him yer the one who gave me this?"

He asked while showing her the note. Michonne frowned

"Kind of hard to agree when I don't know what it says,"

She pointed out. Merle sighed heavily before handing the note to her, Michonne took it and opened it up; frowning in confusion at what it said.

"Who needs this?"

She asked suspiciously. Merle shrugged

"Uh….. Do mind if I don't tell ya; they don't want anyone to know,"

He tried to reason. Michonne sighed and folded the note

"Alright; you can say it's me and I'll back you if anyone asks,"

She assured. Merle nodded

"Really? Thanks,"

He let a small genuine smile slip before heading off to find Glenn. Merle headed towards the watch tower Glenn and Maggie usually staked out and let himself in

"Hey, Asian boy,"

He called. Glenn groaned and looked over at Merle

"What do you want, Merle?"

He practically growled. Merle leaned against the door frame

"I need to go on a run; you're comin' with me,"

He notified. Glenn frowned before standing

"Alright' what are we getting?"

He asked. Merle shrugged

"Daryl's sick and I wanna get him some stuff to help him stop pukin'; Michonne wanted this,"

He explained before handing the note to Glenn. Glenn nodded and opened the note; eyes widening slightly at what he read

"Oh uh… Okay; I guess she didn't want anyone else to know?"

He stammered. Merle nodded

"Yeah; somethin' like that,"

He shrugged. Glenn nodded before bending over to kiss Maggie on the lips

"I see you in a little bit,"

He assured before following after Merle. They took one of the cars and drove out to a known pharmacy that they usually went to raid. Glenn followed Merle into the pharmacy and went straight to his destined aisle; Merle looked around for anti-nausea medication. Glenn grabbed what he'd been sent for and hid it in his bag before Merle could see it as he walked over; pill bottle in hand.

"Think we should grab some other stuff we might need while we're here?"

He suggested. Glenn got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head

"There is something I'd like to grab for Michonne; just in case,"

He stated before walking passed Merle. Merle cocked an eyebrow at the other man but otherwise ignored it; he knew Glenn was uncomfortable around him, and with good reason. Merle stretched and popped his shoulders before glancing up at the aisle Glenn had been skulking around in. Merle frowned; what the fuck did Daryl need from the feminine hygiene aisle? Merle shook his head in a failed attempt to brush it off; what he'd said back when Daryl had kept rubbing his stomach had just been a joke. There was no way Daryl was pregnant; he was a guy, Merle knew he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but he knew enough to know men couldn't get pregnant.

"We ready to go?"

Glenn asked; walking back over. Merle looked up; train of thought broken

"What? Oh, yeah,"

He muttered before following Glenn out of the pharmacy. Merle let Glenn drive on the way back; he had too much on his mind to focus on driving. This was insane, he shouldn't even be thinking about this; Daryl was a man, that much was obvious, and men couldn't get pregnant, so why the hell was Merle thinking about this so much. Glenn glanced over at Merle; the other man had been totally silent since they got into the car; he'd even let Glenn drive, no racist comment or anything. Now, not only was he completely silent; which was so unlike Merle, but he seemed out of it.

"You alright?"

Glenn asked; breaking the silence. Merle seemed to snap out of it as he looked over at Glenn

"Fine,"

He muttered. Glenn frowned

"You sure? I mean, you don't look so hot,"

He pushed. Merle sighed

"What did Michonne want?"

He asked; ignoring Glenn's pushing. Glenn bit his lip

"She uh…. She wanted a pregnancy test,"

He responded. Merle's blood ran cold; he had been right. Obviously Daryl wasn't stupid enough to think that guys could actually get pregnant; but something clearly had him spooked enough to doubt that fact. Merle felt sick

"Stop the car,"

He ordered; beginning to open the door before Glenn had even complied, and got out before leaning against a tree and emptying the contents of his stomach onto the ground. Glenn ran over to him

"Are you okay?"

He panicked. Merle dry heaved a few times before coughing and wiping his mouth on the back of his arm

"Yeah; just a little sick is all,"

He assured half-heartedly. Glenn stared at Merle in shock; Michonne possibly being pregnant shouldn't have freaked Merle out this much, unless…

"Is it yours?"

Glenn asked. Merle looked at him

"Is what mine?"

He growled. Glenn motioned to the car

"You know… The baby,"

He elaborated. Merle swung around and slammed his fist into the trunk of the tree he'd been leaned again

"I don't-….. Probably,"

He answered after calming down. Glenn had jerked away from him in fear at that point, Merle walked passed him back to the car

"Let's go; Michonne needs her test and I don't need Daryl hurtin' himself from puking too hard,"

He barked before getting into the car; slamming the door behind him. Glenn swallowed thickly and took a deep breath; Merle and Michonne….. He definitely hadn't seen that one coming.


	5. Positive

Chapter 4: Positive

Merle grabbed the bag with the stuff they'd gotten and got out of the car; heading to see Daryl, ignoring Glenn as he called after him. He found his way back to the cell and forced himself to calm down before leaning against the door frame and tossing the bag at Daryl

"Here's your medicine, somethin' Glenn got for you just in case and yer damn test,"

He growled. Daryl's eyes widened before looking at the floor

"I'm sorry,"

He whimpered. Merle shook his head and walked over to sit next to Daryl on the bed

"Do you really think that you might be-,"

The words died on his tongue; thinking it was one thing, but Merle couldn't _say _it. Daryl shrugged

"I don't know; they was a book and I was readin' it, and I know it's supposed to be impossible, but hey, so are zombies,"

He explained before clutching his stomach. Merle sighed and reached over to pat Daryl's shoulder before standing

"It's been a month, right?"

He asked. Daryl nodded

"Yeah,"

He informed. Merle reached into the bag and tossed the pregnancy test at Daryl

"Better go take that and tell me what it says when yer done,"

He scoffed before beginning to walk away

"You mad?"

Daryl whimpered. Merle stopped at the door

"No,"

He assured curtly before walking away. Daryl chewed his bottom lip and looked down at the box before opening it and taking out one of the test; hiding in his back pocket and heading to the bathroom. Merle watched Daryl run to bathroom before slamming his fist into the wall and cursing quietly to himself. He turned to be faced with Michonne

"What happened?"

She asked. Merle leaned against the wall as Michonne checked his, now bruised and bloody, hand

"I don't know what to do; am I stupid for not thinking this through?"

He mumbled. Michonne dragged Merle over to one of the tables and pushed him down before grabbing bandages, cotton and rubbing alcohol. Merle flinched slightly when Michonne poured the alcohol over his hand to clean it with the cotton swabs before bandaging it

"It was for Daryl, right?"

She asked softly. Merle looked down at her

"Yeah,"

He scoffed before looking away. She looked up at him

"I wish I could say I was surprised, but with the dead coming back to life and attacking the living, nothing surprises me anymore,"

She chuckled while shaking her head. Merle smirked

"Guess yer right,"

He smirked faded

"I'm sure the rest of the group will see it that way, Merle,"

She assured. Merle shook his head

"That ain't the problem. The problem is getting them to accept that the kid is mine,"

He explained. Michonne looked up at him and stood to sit next to him after finishing bandaging his hand

"Ok, you're right; that is going to be a little difficult, but I'm sure you'll figure something out,"

She assured. Merle rubbed the back of his head before looking up at Daryl; who motioned towards the cell. Merle sighed and stood

"Thanks for the chat,"

He muttered before waving at Michonne and walking back into the cell. Daryl nervously chewed his lower lip as he stared at Merle

"It uh….-"

Daryl paused and looked to the floor. Merle sat down on the bed and pulled Daryl down to sit next to him

"Speak, boy,"

He pushed; tone much softer than usual. Daryl took a deep breath and looked up at Merle

"It was positive,"

He forced out; voice cracking at the end. Merle sighed and ran his hand over his head in frustration

"What'ya wanna do 'bout it?"

He asked. Daryl shrugged

"I don't know I obviously can't just…. Have it,"

Daryl motioned awkwardly before dropping his hands into his lap and hanging his head

"But I don't wanna kill it either,"

He mumbled. Merle leaned back at stared at the top bunk

"So you wanna keep it?"

It was rhetorical; obviously Daryl wanted to keep it. Merle sat up and pulled Daryl into a hug; kissing the top of his head before turning to reach into the bag and grabbing the anti-nausea pills and the thing Glenn got. Merle glared down at the prenatal vitamins

"Glenn grabbed these,"

He handed them to his brother. Daryl chuckled and smiled at them

"That's cute; he did that fer Lori too,"

He chuckled before shoving them back in the bag and chucking them under his bed while placing the anti-nausea pills on the floor within reach and lied down

"I know yer not really one fer spoonin', but I could use the comfort right now,"

Daryl mumbled; staring at Merle out of the corner of his eye. Merle smiled and lied down behind him; wrapping his arms around Daryl's waist and letting his hand rest against Daryl's stomach

"You'll be fine,"

He assured. Daryl turned in Merle's embrace and nuzzled his neck

"I love you,"

He mumbled quietly. Merle looked down at him and nodded

"I know,"


	6. Thinking about this

Chapter 5: Thinking about this

Merle lied in bed with Daryl cuddled against his chest as he stared up at the top bunk; absently stroking Daryl's hair. He glanced down at the younger male and let his eyes drop down to his stomach; he hadn't started to show yet, and Merle was slightly dreading the day that he did. It had been 2 weeks since Daryl found out; making him about a month and a half along. Daryl shifted in his sleep and mumbled something incoherently, Merle moved his hand down to caress Daryl's stomach; they'd have to tell the group before Daryl started to show, or things could get awkward.

"You awake?"

Daryl asked quietly. Merle looked at Daryl

"Yeah, I'm up,"

He assured before kissing Daryl's head, Daryl smiled and nuzzled Merle's neck before grinding his hips against Merle's leg. Merle frowned and pulled Daryl off him

"You sure we can do that?"

He worried. Daryl looked up at his brother; big puppy eyes practically begging

"It won't hurt the baby, wasn't it you who told me mamma used to have sex all the time when she was pregnant with me?"

He whimpered. Merle rolled his eyes

"Yeah; but mamma was a woman, I don't know if its gonna be different with you,"

He explained. Daryl pouted before kissing Merle's neck

"Please,"

He whimpered. Merle desperately tried to ignore the growing erection in his pants as Daryl rubbed his own hard manhood against Merle's hip. Merle cleared his throat uneasily when Daryl ran his hand down Merle's body and rubbed the growing tent in his pants. Merle abruptly pulled away and stood up

"No, I can't; I don't wanna hurt you, or the baby,"

Merle panicked. Daryl sat up and bit his lip; looking down at his lap

"Sorry,"

He mumbled. Merle sighed and sat down next to Daryl; cupping his chin and tilting his head back up before kissing him

"You got nothing' to be sorry about; I just don't wanna hurt you, or the baby,"

He explained after breaking the kiss. Daryl smiled and kissed Merle again

"Yer not gonna hurt me; we were havin' sex before I knew, weren't we?"

He reminded. Merle sighed and frowned before kissing Daryl's neck

"Yer right,"

He purred while pushing Daryl's shirt up. Daryl bit his lip and moaned softly before pulling his shirt off and rubbing Merle's, already bare, chest. Merle pushed Daryl so he was lying down and pulled his boxers off; exposing Daryl's hard, dripping cock. Daryl bit his lip and blushed

"You been holdin' out on me huh?"

Merle teased while pushing his index finger against the dripping slit; Daryl choked a cry

"Thought you were mad at me,"

He panted while jerking his hips upwards. Merle smirked before pulling his hand away to remove his own boxers and stroke his shaft

"Wanna give suckin' it a shot?"

He asked. Daryl smirked and nodded; getting on his knees and licking the head of Merle's dick. Merle tangled his fingers in Daryl's hair as Daryl took in as much as he could; moaning around the shaft. Merle groaned and tugged Daryl's hair slightly

"God that feels so damn good,"

He praised. Daryl hummed happily and took it deeper; gagging slightly but suppressing it as best he could to slip it into his throat. Merle let his head fall back as he moaned; gently humping against Daryl's face

"Yer getting good at this; what, you been practicing?"

Merle asked; only half serious. Daryl pulled off and looked up at Merle

"In a sense,"

He answered honestly. Merle stroked Daryl's hair

"How?"

He asked; tone somewhat possessive. Daryl chewed his bottom lip

"My fingers and food,"

He chuckled with a deep blush. Merle chuckled and smirked

"That's adorable,"

He teased as Daryl took him back into his mouth. Merle panted as Daryl deep throated him

"You keep that up and I'm gonna cum,"

He warned. Daryl glanced up at him and gave him one last particularly hard suck before pulling off and getting on his hands and knees

"From behind this time,"

He purred. Merle chuckled and knelt behind Daryl before slowly pushing into him, Daryl let out a choked off cry and fell forward onto his chest

"So big~"

He whimpered. Merle chuckled while firmly slapping Daryl's ass; causing him to jerk forward and whimper

"Fuck me~,"

Daryl pleaded; to which Merle fully complied as he started to quickly thrust in and out of Daryl. The younger male moaned loudly into the pillow and dug his fingers into the bed sheets as Merle mercilessly assaulted his prostate. Daryl humped his hips back against Merle as he bit down on the pillow to silence himself

"Harder~,"

He begged. Merle smirked and did as requested

"You like that?"

He purred. Daryl nodded frantically

"Yes, yes, it feels so damn good~,"

He moaned loudly. Merle ran his hand up Daryl's spine; glaring at the many scars, before kissing Daryl's shoulder blade

"You close?"

He purred. Daryl nodded and yelped when Merle slapped his ass again

"So cum, baby brother,"

He purred. That was all Daryl needed to push him over the edge; cumming with a loud cry of ecstasy before slumping forward and moaning softly when Merle came inside of him. Merle sighed and pulled out to lie next to Daryl; pulling him against his chest

"Feel better?"

He asked. Daryl nodded

"Much better,"

He cooed. Merle rubbed Daryl's back

"You can be such a needy slut when you wanna be, you know that?"

He teased. Daryl hit him in the arm

"I haven't had sex since I found out; so excuse me if I'm feelin' a little pent up,"

He pouted before resting his head against Merle's chest. Merle sighed contently before pushing Daryl onto his back and placing his hand against his stomach. Daryl blinked in confusion while staring down at Merle's hand

"Boy or girl, what'ya think?"

He asked. Daryl looked back up at Merle

"I don't know…. Yer really thinkin' about this…."

He mumbled before smiling and blushing. Merle shrugged before standing and putting his boxers back on, Daryl sat up

"Somethin' wrong?"

He mumbled. Merle shook his head

"Nah, I just need some air,"

He mumbled while getting dressed before leaving the cell.


	7. Doesn't make you any less a man

Chapter 6: Doesn't make you any less a man

Merle stood in one of the empty watch towers; staring outside. He glanced back when Daryl walked in behind him

"Are you alright?"

He asked softly. Merle smiled slightly before pilling a pack of smokes out of his back pocket

"Yeah, I'm fine,"

He assured. Daryl walked closer and leaned his head on Merle's shoulder; rubbing his stomach slightly.

"When do you think I'll start to show?"

He asked. Merle looked at him and shrugged slightly

"Don't know,"

He muttered. Daryl smiled and rubbed his stomach again

"When do you think I'll be able to feel the baby move?"

He asked. Merle took a deep breath and shrugged

"3-4 months along,"

He explained. Daryl hummed happily before looking up at Merle and sighing sadly

"You don't want it, do you?"

He mumbled softly. Merle looked at Daryl again

"I don't know what I want,"

He answered honestly. Daryl sighed and looked at the floor

"I could get rid of it if you want,"

He whispered. Merle shook his head and lightly smacked Daryl in the arm

"I ain't gonna make you do somethin' you don't wanna do. And I never said I didn't want it,"

He scolded. Daryl flinched, Merle shook his head

"I think hormones got you all messed up or somethin',"

He weakly joked. Daryl smiled at that

"I guess so; sometimes I feel like cryin' for no reason,"

He chuckled. Merle wrapped his arm around Daryl

"What'ya gonna name it?"

He asked. Daryl shrugged

"Haven't really thought about it,"

He mumbled with a small shrug. Merle looked down at the Walkers in the court yard and glared at them; the baby would be in danger, not only by the Walkers, but the Governor too. Merle removed his arm from around Daryl's shoulders and walked over to the wall; Rick had told him about the deal with the Governor about 3 days ago. Merle sighed and turned around to stare at Daryl's stomach

"We're pretty safe from the Walkers in here,"

Merle pointed out. Daryl nodded

"You worried about the Governor?"

He asked. Merle grumbled unhappily but ultimately agreed

"I'm worried about the baby,"

He answered honestly. Daryl's eyes widened and he blushed before smiling warmly

"Lovin' yer unborn child doesn't make ya any less a man, ya know,"

He informed. Merle narrowed his eyes at his brother

"I don't love it….."

He attempted to lie. Daryl walked up to Merle and wrapped his arms around his neck

"You don't have to lie to me about it, besides; it's kinda hot seein' you all protective like this,"

He purred. Merle snickered and pushed Daryl away by his face

"Shut up, ya little bastard,"

He scolded while chuckling. Daryl grinned before lurching and clutching his stomach

"Ow,"

He whimpered before standing up straight, Merle stared at him in panic

"You okay?"

He worried. Daryl chuckled

"Yeah, I'm fine; I just get cramps sometimes, probably 'cause I shouldn't be able to get pregnant,"

He explained. Merle wrapped his arms around Daryl and pulled him into a kiss

"You dummy; go lie down or somethin',"

He ordered. Daryl scoffed

"I'm pregnant, not broken,"

He grumbled. Merle pushed him again

"I know that, but if yer getting' cramps I want ya to go lie down,"

He pushed. Daryl huffed before storming off back to their shared cell, Merle sighed before walking off to find Rick. Rick glanced up when Daryl stormed passed him

"Stupid jerk, thinks he controls my life; just 'cause I'm pregnant don't mean I can't take care of myself,"

Daryl grumbled while entering his cell. Rick frowned; did he just hear what he thinks he just heard? Rick went to follow Daryl but was stopped by Merle

"So have ya decided what we're gonna do with Michonne?"

He asked. Rick sighed and looked at Merle

"I really don't think we should go through with this,"

He answered honestly. Merle growled and rolled his eyes

"So yer gonna put the entire group in danger; my brother in danger, for one woman?"

He snapped. Rick sighed

"I know it doesn't make sense to you, but we have to think about what the group would want; I can't sacrifice anyone,"

He explained. Merle scowled and shook his head

"I can't accept that answer,"

He snarled. Rick sighed

"Why is this so important to you, Merle?"

He asked. Merle shook his head

"Never mind, forget it,"

He growled before stalking away from Rick. Rick sighed and headed over to Daryl's cell

"Hey,"

He greeted upon walking in. Daryl looked up at him

"Oh, hey,"

He smiled. Rick walked in and sat down on the bed next to Daryl

"I heard you grumbling before,"

He started, Daryl eyes widened in panic

"Is there somethin' you wanna tell me?"

Rick asked. Daryl swallowed thickly; no way, he didn't want to do this alone, Merle was supposed to be with him when he finally told Rick. Daryl whimpered and looked to the floor

"N-No,"

He choked. Rick put a hand on Daryl's shoulder

"It's alright, Daryl; you can tell me,"

He assured. Tears stung the backs of Daryl's eyes; damn hormones, as he looked up at Rick.

"We don't know how it happened; it just did,"

He started. Rick nodded, Daryl took a deep breath

"Somehow, I got pregnant,"

He explained. Rick nodded before standing

"Yeah, that's what I thought you said,"

He sighed heavily. Daryl flinched and, once again, felt like he was going to cry. Rick looked at Daryl and shook his head

"What are you gonna do about it?"

He asked. Daryl shrugged

"Well, I plan on keepin' it,"

He answered honestly. Rick nodded

"You'll have to have a cesarean,"

He informed. Daryl nodded

"I know,"

He assured; wrapping his arms around his stomach. Rick smiled

"How far along are you?"

He asked. Daryl grinned

"Month and a half,"

He chuckled. Rick smiled and patted Daryl's shoulder

"I'm happy for you,"

Rick's smiled faded; causing Daryl's grin to fall to a look of dread, he knew what Rick was about to say.

"Merle's the father, isn't he?"

Rick asked. Daryl swallowed thickly and nodded

"Y-Yeah,"

He mumbled shamefully; never before had he felt truly ashamed of his relationship with his brother. Rick sighed again

"You can't tell the others who the father is,"

He ordered. Daryl whimpered

"But I-"

"No, Daryl; I don't need my son knowing!"

Rick snapped, Daryl flinched and looked to the floor; tears welling up in his eyes

"Ok,"

He mumbled softly. Rick patted Daryl's shoulder before leaving the cell, Daryl sighed and lied down; he knew he technically could hide it, he just didn't want to. This baby was as much Merle's as it was Daryl's and Daryl wanted his brother to be openly proud of that; not only give their child affection behind closed doors, where the group couldn't see. Daryl whimpered softly then looked up when Merle came angrily skulking in

"W-What happened?"

Daryl asked; trying not to sound like he'd been crying. Merle scoffed

"Nothin'; go to sleep,"

He barked. Daryl flinched and sniffled before turning back around, Merle softened when he heard Daryl softly crying

"What happened to you?"

Merle asked softly while sitting down on the bed; rubbing Daryl's back. Daryl smiled at the gentle affection

"Nothin'; just hormones,"

He lied; Merle and Rick already didn't get along and he didn't want to make it worse, so for now he'd just have to lie to Merle.


	8. Confession

Chapter 7: Confession

It had been 2 days since the conversation Daryl had with Rick about the baby; and he was feeling more than a little depressed. He and Carol had grown close and right now he wanted nothing more than to tell her about his unborn child. The group had gathered to eat; so everyone but Merle was there, Daryl awkwardly looked around the group until his eyes landed on Rick. Said man frowned and shook his head, Daryl looked back down at his food. Everyone but Michonne looked over when Merle walked over to Daryl; leaning down and whispering in his ear, before walking back to their shared cell, Daryl sighed slightly before standing

"I'll uh…. I'll be right back,"

He mumbled before going to his cell to see Merle

"What is it?"

He asked once in the cell. Merle looked up at Daryl and sighed

"You know about the deal with Governor, obviously,"

He started. Daryl nodded while absently running his hands over his stomach; a habit he's developed since becoming pregnant

"Yeah, what about it?"

He asked. Merle shrugged

"You know that Rick probably isn't gonna go through with it, right?"

He asked. Daryl nodded

"Yeah, I know, so what?"

He pushed; what the hell was Merle getting on about? Merle scoffed and ran he hand over his head in frustration

"I can't accept that,"

He finally stated. Daryl frowned

"Yer not gonna try and do it yerself are ya?"

He began to worry. Merle scoffed

"I can't have him puttin' my kid in danger!"

He snapped; and Daryl knew the others would have heard that, so he quickly shushed Merle

"Would you keep yer voice down?"

He harshly whispered. Merle shot him a confused look

"Why? We're gonna be tellin' 'em anyway,"

He pointed out. Daryl chewed his bottom lip

"See, about that…."

He started. Merle's eyes narrowed

"There somethin' you ain't tellin' me?"

He hissed. Daryl flinched

"Uh… Rick doesn't want me tellin' 'em it's yer kid,"

He forced out. Merle took a step back

"That so, huh?"

He growled before pushing passed Daryl. Said man turned on his heals and followed after Merle

"Wait, please don't so anythin' stupid,"

Daryl pleaded as Merle stalked up to Rick. Daryl grabbed Merle's arm in a desperate attempt to hold him back

"Would you please stop?"

He begged. Merle shoved him off

"What's this about you tellin' Daryl to keep my kid a secret from the group?"

He barked once in front of Rick; Daryl flinched, well, the group knew now. The groups' attention, aside from Michonne, turned to Rick and Merle. Rick's eyes widened in silent panic as he turned to look at Carl; who just looked confused

"Somebody else is havin' a baby?"

He asked. Daryl flinched slightly; he'd kind of hoped to do this one at a time, not the whole group at once. Rick grumbled at Merle under his breath

"I don't need my son knowing about yer fucked up relationship with yer brother,"

He quietly hissed a Merle. The older Dixon just rolled his eyes

"I don't give a rat's ass what you want yer son knowin' or not, the kid's mine and I want the group to know that; whether you like it or not!"

He snapped. Michonne looked up now; prepared to back Daryl if he needed it. The younger Dixon swallowed thickly; nervous that Rick and Merle were gonna start fighting.

"Who's having a baby?"

Carol asked. Glenn suddenly looked frightened; he'd clearly kept the test to himself.

"I know it sounds crazy, but Daryl is,"

Merle answered; eyes still locked in a death glare with Rick. Daryl stayed pretty well hidden behind Merle

"But he's a guy; guys can't get pregnant,"

Maggie pointed out.

"And the dead aren't supposed to come back to life and eat you, but they still do,"

Michonne defended. Carol nodded in agreement

"Michonne has a point; and there are a few different reasons that could explain how this is possible,"

She pointed out. Glenn stared at her

"Like what?"

He asked. Carol started counting on her fingers

"A disease, a birth defect, he could be a hermaphrodite,"

She listed. Beth nodded in agreement

"It is possible; unexpected and rare, but possible,"

She agreed. Glenn shrugged

"Alright; I guess I understand,"

He mumbled; clearly still a bit puzzled, but choosing to drop it. Carl looked up at Rick

"Why didn't you want me to know?"

He asked; very confused. Rick broke the stare down with Merle to look at his son

"It's not the pregnancy that's the issue; it's….. Who the father is,"

He explained; glaring over at Merle again. That's when it seemed to sink in with the group

"Merle's the father of Daryl child?"

Glenn choked. Merle shifted the glare to Glenn

"Yeah, you got a problem with that, chink?"

He hissed. Glenn swallowed and looked down

"Nope, none at all,"

He chuckled nervously. Michonne stood up

"Frankly it's none of our business who the father is; they can live their lives how they want, and that's up to them,"

She pointed out. Carol nodded in agreement

"And besides, it's not like they ever expected that Daryl would get pregnant,"

She pointed out. Maggie and Beth shrugged then nodded in agreement, Daryl took a deep breath and peaked out from behind Merle

"So yer all okay with it?"

He mumbled nervously. They group nodded in unison

"It's yer life, Daryl; and we're gonna support you no matter what,"

Beth assured with a kind smile. Carl blinked in confusion

"Why was this a problem?"

He asked his father. Rick looked down at him again

"'Cause they're brothers and I didn't want you thinkin' that it's okay,"

He explained. Carl frowned

"If yer worried that I'd wanna get with Judith, then you need to stop worryin', 'cause I'd never do that,"

He assured. Rick sighed before sitting down and petting Carl's head

"Alright,"

He finished; and with that the matter was settled. Merle continued to glare at Rick even as Daryl dragged him back to their cell. Daryl pushed him to sit down on the bed then sat in his lap

"Do you think they're really okay with it, or are they just sayin' that to be nice?"

He mumbled while wrapping his arms around Merle's neck. Merle shrugged

"Who cares? It's done with, and at least they got the decency to pretend, unlike Rick,"

He pointed out. Daryl smiled and nuzzled Merle's neck

"Yer right, I love you,"

He cooed. Merle smiled

"I love you too,"

He breathed. Daryl pulled away and looked at Merle in shock

"What?"

Merle asked. Daryl smiled and shook his head

"Nothin', that's just the first time you've ever told me that you love me,"

He mumbled. Merle shrugged

"Yer mushy hormonal bullshit is just startin' to rub off on me is all,"

He defended. Daryl's smile grew

"Good,"


	9. Fools Mission

Chapter 8: Fools mission

Merle had figured it'd been a good idea at the time; but Michonne had this way of getting him to do whatever she wanted, and he didn't really mind. So he'd let her go and found himself heading to the drop spot to take on the governor and his men alone. Merle sighed; sitting in a car from which he was currently blasting music and drawing a herd of Walkers towards the drop spot. His plan had been going well until a shot missed the Governor and his little hiding spot had been found out; but he was quick to move to a different location. He wanted to kill the Governor, but he also wanted to live to hold his kid at least once. Merle stayed hidden up on the columns of the ceiling; hidden from the Governor and his men

"Keep lookin', he didn't just disappear,"

The Governor snapped. Merle cursed silently and stayed put; aiming his gun for the Governor's head, there was no way Merle was letting this asshole hurt his kid. He aimed carefully and held his fire until Phillip stopped moving then snarled and pulled the trigger.

Meanwhile at the prison, Daryl was beginning to panic; Merle had been gone for quite some time now, but they had him locked in his cell, so he wouldn't go after Merle. Daryl grabbed the bars of his cell and looked over at Rick

"Is he back yet?"

Daryl asked. Rick looked up

"If he was back, we would have let you out by now,"

He reminded. Daryl whimpered and flopped down at his bed; immediately shooting up after when he heard someone walk in

"Michonne, you're alright,"

Rick greeted. Daryl ran to the cell door again and looked out at her

"Where's Merle?"

He panicked. Michonne sighed

"He said he had something to do; I think he went to the drop site himself,"

She responded while walking up to Daryl, the younger Dixon whimpered and his body slumped

"H-He'll be okay, right?"

He whimpered. Michonne put her hand on his shoulder through the bars

"Rick and I will go and make sure he's okay,"

She assured with a smile. Daryl sniffled and nodded, Michonne nodded then turned on her heels and walked over to Rick

"We have to go after him,"

She notified. Rick sighed

"I know; come on,"

He obviously didn't want to go, but knew Daryl wasn't going to forgive him if he didn't. Rick grabbed his gun and headed out of the prison with Michonne; they headed down to the cars and grabbed one before heading off. Rick and Michonne drove in silence to the drop site, they slowly got out of the car; their weapons at the ready, as they walked forward.

"Merle?"

Michonne called when they didn't see anyone; had Merle succeeded? Rick pushed the door to the shack open and walked in

"Merle?"

Michonne repeated. She sheathed her sword and ran up to him when she saw him slumped in a corner, she put her ear to his chest and let out a sigh of relief at the sound of a heartbeat; it was slow and somewhat faint, but it was there. She pulled back and shook him gently

"Merle,"

She whispered. Rick walked up behind her

"Was he shot?"

He asked. Michonne began checking his body and found a shot in his chest; he was still alive, so it'd obviously missed his heart. She nodded

"Yeah, we have to get him back; quickly,"

She rushed while grabbing one of Merle arms and putting it over her shoulders; Rick doing the same with the other arm, and they heaved him to his feat before dragging him to the car and gently putting him in the back seat, before rushing to get back into the front and drive back to the prison. Once back at the prison, they brought Merle back inside and lied him down on a table before Rick ran off to find Hershel. Michonne sat in one of the chairs and put her hand to Merle's forehead, he opened his eyes slightly and looked at her, she smiled

"Hey,"

She greeted softly. Merle coughed and gagged before grinning at her; teeth red with his own blood

"H-Hey,"

He croaked; blood bubbling up in the back of his throat. Michonne pet his head

"Ssh, don't talk; you'll only hurt yourself,"

She hushed gently. Merle gagged again as Hershel walked over; shooing Michonne away before getting to work. She sighed and chewed her bottom lip before heading to see Daryl

"Hey,"

She greeted after reaching his cell; he shot up off the floor and grabbed the bars

"Where is he, is he okay?"

Daryl panicked. Michonne smiled weakly

"He's back; but he's hurt pretty badly, Hershel's working on him now,"

She assured. Daryl whimpered and tightened his grip on the bars as he choked on sobs

"B-But he'll be o-okay, right?"

He whimpered. Michonne slipped her hand through the bars and stroked Daryl's cheek

"I'm sure Hershel can save him,"

She assured; brushing Daryl's tears away. Rick walked over with the prison keys and unlocked Daryl's cell

"He's with Hershel right now, so you can't go see him. What's his blood type?"

He asked. Daryl sniffled and shrugged

"I don't know…. Uh… I don't remember,"

Daryl whimpered; wrapping his arms around himself. Rick patted Daryl's back

"It's alright; we'll just have to find someone with O negative blood,"

He assured. Michonne turned to Rick

"I'm O negative,"

She offered. Rick nodded

"Then we need you,"

He grabbed her arm and dragged her to see Merle. Daryl sat down on his bed and whimpered before getting up and following after Michonne and Rick. He stood out of there way and watched as Hershel transferred the blood from Michonne to Merle before getting back to work on the injury in Merle's chest. Daryl swallowed thickly and wrapped his arms around his stomach; he was so worried it was making him sick, but he wouldn't leave, not with Merle like this. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down as he slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

After what felt like an eternity to Daryl, but was really only about an hour and a half, Hershel turned to him and smiled kindly

"He's going to be alright, Daryl,"

He assured. Daryl practically jumped to his feet and ran over to Merle; who was still passed out. Daryl sat in the chair and grabbed Merle's hand

"Yer sure; he's gonna be fine?"

Daryl choked. Hershel nodded

"He'll need a lot of rest, but he'll be fine,"

He assured. Daryl smiled and sighed in relief before leaning his head against Merle's shoulder

"Ya hot-headed idiot; I was so damn worried,"

He scolded Merle's sleeping form. Merle shifted slightly and opened his eyes; looking over at Daryl

"Hey baby brother,"

He greeted with a hoarse chuckle. Daryl looked up at him and smiled

"Hey,"

He greeted softly. Merle moved to sit up; but Daryl quickly stopped him

"Whoa, take it easy; you just got shot in the chest, you nearly died!"

He scolded. Merle pushed Daryl away

"I'm fine,"

He assured; voice raw and quiet. Daryl bit his lip

"Please don't,"

He whimpered. Merle looked at him

"I just want to go to the cell; it's uncomfortable here,"

He explained. Daryl moved to help his brother, but was crudely rejected

"I can walk,"

Merle growled. Daryl flinched away slightly but nodded anyway; sticking close to Merle in case he couldn't hold himself. Merle feebly walked back into the cell block; the others turning to look at him

"You alright?"

Michonne was the first to ask. He smirked

"Never better,"

He coughed before walking into his cell. Rick and Daryl followed him into the cell

"I hate to ask so soon after you woke up, but what happened with the Governor?"

Rick asked. Merle looked up from the lax position he was lying in and smirked

"Dead,"


	10. Time skip

Chapter 9: Time Skip

It's been about 7 months since Merle had killed the governor; making Daryl 8 and a half months pregnant. Said man wasn't all too happy about his swollen stomach; but had been delighted when he'd felt the babies first kick. The girls had taken to feeling Daryl's stomach and giggling in delight when the baby would move. Daryl sat on the bed in his cell staring down at his swollen stomach before looking up when Merle walked in

"Hey,"

He greeted before looking back down at his stomach. Merle leaned against the wall and stared at Daryl

"Ya look pretty happy,"

He pointed out. Daryl looked up and smiled

"I am,"

He chuckled before frowning

"You haven't touched my stomach since I started to show,"

He pointed out. Merle shrugged

"I ain't interested in feelin' it,"

He mumbled. Daryl sighed before grabbing Merle's hand and putting it to his stomach, Merle attempted to jerk away; only to be held there by Daryl. The baby kicked and Merle stopped struggling, he just stared at Daryl's stomach in a mix of confusion and amazement. He let out a heavy, shaking breath

"Damn,"

He breathed. Daryl smiled as Merle dropped to his knees; hand still on Daryl's stomach, Daryl let go of Merle's hand and leaned back. He closed his eyes and sighed before twitching slightly and giggling when Merle nuzzled his stomach. He stayed still and just listened

"Hey there,"

Merle whispered against Daryl's stomach; the baby kicked again, to which Merle chuckled. Daryl opened his eyes and looked at Merle just in time to see him kiss his stomach, Daryl smiled

"Yer adorable,"

He commented, to which Merle scoffed and stood up

"Shut it, ya brat,"

He grumbled before storming off. Daryl laughed and rubbed his stomach

"He really does love ya; he just won't admit it,"

He chuckled. Merle walked down the cell block corridor; thinking about what had just happened with Daryl. He'd nearly died for the two of them 7 months ago, and he knew he'd gladly do it again. He sighed and sat down before resting his head in his hand; resting his stump next to his hand.

"He'll be do in half a month you know; you two outta start thinking about some names,"

Michonne suggested after stopping in front of Merle. Said man looked up at her and smirked

"I'll leave that sappy bullshit to my brother,"

He chuckled. Michonne's smile faded

"You know…. He might not make it,"

She informed; this had been a topic going around the prison since the group had found out. Sure the cesarean would probably work, but because Daryl was a man, there was no telling what effect pregnancy, contractions and labor would have on his body. Merle's smirk faded and he scoffed

"I know,"

He muttered; Michonne sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder

"You have to be prepared for that,"

She spoke softly; Merle had been avoiding this conversation since it came up, but Michonne wasn't going to let him any longer. Merle nodded and sighed

"I know,"

He repeated before standing; heading to see Daryl, he needed to talk to him, tell him a few things that he might not get the chance to tell him again. Daryl looked up as Merle walked in

"Hey,"

He greeted with a smile. Merle sat down next to him and pulled him into a loving kiss; leaving Daryl totally breathless when he pulled away. Daryl whimpered and stared at Merle; clutching his shirt

"Not that I don't appreciate that or anythin', but…. What the hell was that?"

He panted. Merle kissed him again

"I love you,"

He purred after breaking the kiss. Daryl blushed and smiled

"I know, I love you too,"

He chuckled. Merle pressed his forehead to Daryl's

"I don't say it enough,"

Merle explained. Daryl smiled

"Ya don't have to; I know you love me,"

He assured. Merle smiled and let his hands rest against Daryl's stomach

"Yer not as big as I thought you'd be,"

He pointed out. Daryl shrugged

"Guess not,"

He chuckled while putting his hand over Merle's. Said man sighed and lied down on the bed; pulling Daryl against his chest

"Yer everythin' to me, ya know that?"

Merle breathed. Daryl lifted his head off Merle's chest and stared at him in shock before smiling

"Really?"

He cooed. Merle nodded

"Yeah,"

He mumbled. Daryl smiled and nuzzled Merle's neck

"I love you,"

He purred. Merle growled; signaling he'd had enough of the lovey-dovey bullshit now, Daryl giggled slightly and shook his head

"You started it,"

He pointed out. Merle scoffed and grumbled something before kissing Daryl on the head then mumbling when the baby kicked

"You got yer stomach pushed right against me,"

Merle mumbled. Daryl laughed

"Deal with it, jackass,"

He chuckled; the baby kicking in response. Daryl moved his hand down to rub his stomach

"It's real active today; guess it's happy its daddy finally grew the balls to talk to it,"

He chuckled. Merle smacked him in the head

"Shut up,"

He barked softly. Daryl chuckled again before nuzzling Merle's neck again

"I'll be fine, ya know,"

He stated. Merle looked down at him

"What are ya talkin' about?"

He tried to pretend like he didn't know. Daryl looked up at him

"I ain't stupid, Merle; I know why you said all those things, it's 'cause yer afraid I ain't gonna make it,"

He explained. Merle scoffed

"Course ya know; you were always the smart one,"

He grumbled. Daryl kissed Merle's neck

"I'll be fine, so try not to worry too much,"

He pleaded before resting his head against Merle's chest again and closing his eyes

"I'm tough; I can take it,"

He assured. Merle sighed and corded his fingers through Daryl's hair

"I hope so; 'cause there's no way I can raise a baby on my own,"

He pointed out. Daryl chuckled

"I'm sure you'll be a perfectly fine dad,"

He assured. Merle scoffed

"Whatever you say, runt,"

He mumbled. Daryl glanced up at him and smiled before closing his eyes again and falling asleep.


	11. Baby Names

Chapter 10: Baby names

Daryl woke up the next morning to no Merle; and looked around in mild confusion before getting up to go look for him. He found Merle out in the cell corridor with Beth; who was feeding Judith, they were talking quietly

"Wanna hold her?"

Beth asked. Daryl had to hold in a laugh at the look Merle gave her; it was the look of disgust and fear

"Thanks, but I'll have to pass,"

He muttered awkwardly. Beth put the bottle down at giggled

"Don't worry; you won't hurt her,"

She assured before handing Judith to Merle; giving him no choice but to take the baby. He instantly stiffened and just stared down at the infant in his arms. Judith babbled then giggled as she stared up at Merle; Daryl smiled at the sight and rubbed his own swollen belly. Merle seemed to relax when Judith giggled and he adjusted her in his arms; her head rested against his right bicep. He reached over and grabbed the bottle; resuming Judith's feeding. That's when Daryl decided to make himself known

"Hey Merle; I was lookin' for ya,"

He started while walking over to them. Merle looked up at Daryl

"I'm here,"

He muttered before looking back down at Judith. Daryl smiled and sat down next to Beth

"Yer pretty good with her,"

He pointed out. Merle looked back up at Daryl

"Who the hell d'ya think took care a' you?"

He reminded. Daryl laughed

"Well then you got experience,"

He chuckled. Beth smiled before getting up and walking away; getting the feeling that Daryl wanted to talk to Merle in private.

"I was thinkin',"

Daryl started while rubbing his stomach. Merle put Judith's bottle down and rocked her gently

"About?"

He asked. Daryl chuckled

"About what we're gonna name it,"

He explained. Merle nodded in comprehension

"Guess that'll depend on whether it's a boy or a girl,"

He muttered. Daryl nodded

"Well yeah, what should we name it if it's a boy?"

He started. Merle shrugged

"I dunno,"

He mumbled; not really all that good with this baby stuff. Daryl giggled and leaned forward to gently nuzzle Merle's neck

"And fer a girl?"

He asked. Merle sighed and looked at Daryl; playful smirk on his lips

"Do we really hafta to this now?"

He whined. Daryl chuckled

"Guess yer right; maybe I'm gettin' a bit excited about this,"

He shrugged. Merle smiled and reached over to rub Daryl's arm

"Don't worry about it,"

He assured. Daryl smiled; absently rubbing his stomach as Merle's hand moved up to gently rub Daryl's neck. Merle sighed; staring down at Judith, who had fallen asleep a little while ago. Daryl smiled at the sight

"Yer actually pretty good with her,"

He pointed out. Merle shrugged

"What, you think Mamma and Dad actually took care a' you?"

He mumbled. Daryl shrugged

"I guess not,"

He agreed before looking at Judith

"You want me to put her down?"

He offered, Merle shook his head

"Nah, I can do it,"

He assured while standing; adjusting her better in his arms before walking away to put her to bed. Daryl let out a content sigh and leaned back; just smiling to himself

"You seem happy,"

Michonne chuckled while walking up to Daryl, he looked over at her

"I am; don't know why, just am,"

He shrugged. She grinned and put her hand to Daryl's stomach; to which the baby kicked happily. Daryl giggled slightly

"The baby likes attention,"

He chuckled. Michonne nodded

"Yeah, it does,"

She agreed. Daryl shrugged and stood; gently cracking his back then groaning

"If there's anything I hate about this it's the back pain,"

He groaned. Michonne laughed while standing

"What do you think the gender is?"

She asked. Daryl shrugged

"Don't know; guess we'll find out when the baby's born,"

He muttered. Michonne nodded

"You don't have the slightest idea?"

She asked. Daryl shrugged

"I got hopes, but no idea,"

He mumbled. Michonne frowned

"What are you hoping?"

She asked. Daryl sighed heavily

"For a healthy baby Merle can handle on his own if I don't make it,"


	12. Unwell

Chapter 11: Unwell

Hershel had been checking on Daryl more and more often the closer he got to his due date. Merle wasn't much better; he had taken to becoming Daryl's shadow, Rick was constantly asking Daryl how he was feeling, the Greene girls kept hanging around him and asking if he felt any pain in his stomach, and Carol kept checking his temperature and telling him to take a bath. Daryl was sick of it; the only person who was giving him his space was Michonne, and Carl; but he didn't really count. Now he was in his cell with Hershel checking his baby bump

"It's unfortunate that I can't give you an ultrasound, we don't know how the baby is doing,"

He conversed. Daryl glanced over at Merle; who was standing in the corner, chewing on his thumb nail. Hershel continued to make small talk about the baby to no one in particular; he wasn't expecting an answer from either men, but knew they were listening. Merle cleared his throat and walked over to Daryl; petting his hair back

"How ya feelin'?"

He asked. Daryl smiled

"Crowded; I appreciate the attention, but you guys are smotherin' me,"

He answered honestly. Merle smiled

"We're worried,"

He explained. Daryl nodded and smiled

"I know; but I'd like my privacy every now and then,"

He shrugged. Merle chuckled slightly

"Yeah, I get it; I'll stop shadowin' you if you want,"

He offered. Daryl smiled and shrugged

"I don't mind you stickin' so close to me; it's everyone else,"

He explained. Merle smiled and sat down next to him on the small bed after Hershel finished up what he was doing and pulled Daryl's shirt back down

"I did the most I could with the little I had, and from what I can tell; the baby is healthy,"

He assured. Daryl let out a small sigh of relief

"Glad to know,"

He chuckled; sitting up to lean his head against Merle's shoulder. Merle rested his head against Daryl's

"You'll be due in about a week, right?"

He asked. Daryl nodded and rested his hand on Merle's thigh

"Yup, 'bout a week,"

He chuckled; nuzzling Merle's neck. Merle chuckled and gently tugged Daryl's hair

"You better quit that; ain't no way I'm fuckin' you when you could go into labor at any time,"

He pointed out. Daryl pouted and crossed his arms before looking away

"Whatever,"

He muttered. Merle smiled and stood; cracking his back

"I'm gonna take Glenn and go on a run fer baby stuff,"

He informed. Daryl glanced up at him and blinked; big blue eyes staring at him in confusion

"That was random,"

He stated. Merle shrugged

"We got stuff fer Judith, but we're gonna need more stuff fer our baby,"

He pointed out. Daryl smiled and nodded

"Alright, just watch out; don't want you to get hurt,"

He pushed. Merle raised his hands in defense

"I know, I know,"

He assured before heading off to find Glenn. Daryl hummed happily and was about to lie down when Rick walked in, Daryl blinked before sitting up again

"Hey, Rick,"

He greeted questioningly. Rick sighed and walked into the cell

"How ya feelin'?"

He asked. Daryl shrugged and rubbed his stomach

"Fine, I guess,"

He muttered. Rick sat down next to him

"Has it moved at all?"

He asked. Daryl nodded

"Yeah; it's pretty active today, actually,"

He shrugged. Rick nodded before moving his hand to gently rest it against Daryl's stomach; to which the baby kicked. The both chuckled

"Does it do that with everyone?"

He asked. Daryl chuckled and nodded

"Yeah, it's real friendly,"

He sighed happily. He looked up at Michonne, who was standing in the doorway

"Hey preggo,"

She greeted teasingly. Daryl smirked

"Hey, Micho,"

He teased back. She chuckled and walked in to stand in front of him

"How's the baby?"

She asked. Daryl shrugged

"Hershel said it's fine,"

He answered while rubbing his stomach

"Real active lately,"

He commented. Michonne smiled and ruffled his hair

"Where's the proud father gone off too?"

She asked; the 'proud' part was said teasingly. Daryl chuckled

"Said he was takin' Glenn 'n goin' on a run,"

He explained. Michonne nodded before smiling at Rick and leaving the cell, Daryl looked back at Rick

"Is somethin' wrong?"

He asked. Rick looked at him and shook his head

"No, not at all,"

He assured before pushing a lock out Daryl's hair out of his face. Daryl's eyes widened when Rick leaned forward and pushed a gentle kiss to his lips, Daryl put his hands on Rick's shoulders and was about to shove him away until the memory of how he'd been with Tyreese flashed through his mind and he suddenly feared Rick getting violent; feared for his babies life if that happened, and ultimately decided to just let Rick do what he wanted. Rick broke the kiss and stared into Daryl's terrified eyes

"Don't worry; I won't hurt you,"

He soothed; gently stroking Daryl's neck in attempt to calm him. Daryl swallowed thickly

"So this is what you wanted; to wait fer Merle to go out so you could get me alone,"

He squeaked. Rick moved his and further up to run his fingers through Daryl's hair, Daryl took a deep breath but didn't take his eyes off Rick

"You really gonna do this now, when I could go into labor any time?"

He tried to weasel out of the situation. Rick leaned forward and pushed his lips to Daryl's neck

"I just gotta get my mind off things,"

He breathed. Daryl stayed still

"Please don't,"

He whimpered; genuinely terrified now. Rick gripped Daryl's hair and pulled it back; nipping at his throat and causing Daryl to whimper. He closed his eyes and desperately tried to remove himself from the situation when he heard Merle's voice; Rick was off him faster than lightning and had his hand over Daryl's mouth

"If you say a word about what happened here,"

He warned; removing his hand. Daryl narrowed his eyes at him

"Whatcha gonna do, kill me?"

He snarled. Rick shook his head

"Not you,"

He hissed before heading out, Daryl went white when the meaning behind Rick's words sunk in and he wrapped his arms around his stomach. Merle walked in

"Hey Daryl,"

He greeted before frowning and sitting down next to him

"You okay, yer real pale, did somethin' happen?"

He worried. Rick's words echoed in Daryl's mind; it was obvious Rick wasn't well, but he couldn't tell anyone without risking his baby's life, so he looked up at Merle and forced a smile

"Nothin' happened; I'm…. Just fine,"


	13. Sharp pain

Chapter 12: Sharp pain

It had been about 4 days since the incident with Rick and Daryl had never felt more stressed in his life. He chewed his bottom lip as he watched Merle nuzzle his stomach; a habit he'd slowly developed since Daryl had first made him feel the baby. He sighed heavily and looked away from Merle; who looked up at him

"You alright?"

He asked. Daryl looked down at him and forced a tired smile

"Yeah, I'm fine,"

He assured. Merle frowned and sat up; gently rubbing Daryl stomach, like he was soothing the baby

"Ya sure?"

He worried. Daryl nodded and put his hand over Merle; feeling the baby kick, he chocked and tears welled up in his eyes. Merle frowned and cupped Daryl's cheek; rubbing his calloused thumb just bellow Daryl's eyes

"You ain't okay; what's been botherin' you?"

He pushed, Daryl shook his head

"Nothin'; I don't wanna talk about it,"

He muttered. Merle sighed and gently pushed his lips to Daryl's, who tensed up before bashfully returning the kiss. Merle pulled away and rested his forehead against Daryl's

"I love you so much,"

He purred. Daryl let a genuine smile slip and he nuzzled Merle's cheek

"I love you too,"

He mumbled. Merle smiled before standing and stretching

"You had Hershel check on you lately?"

He asked. Daryl shook his head

"He just checked on me 4 days ago; I'm sure the baby's fine,"

He assured. Merle shrugged; leaning forward to nuzzle and kiss Daryl's stomach

"Daddy'll be right back,"

He cooed. Daryl bit his lip and smiled as Merle pulled away then left the cell, Daryl's smile slowly faded and he sighed heavily; absently rubbing his swollen belly. He glanced up and his blank stare turned fearful when he saw Rick walk into the cell. He swallowed thickly when Rick looked around

"Where's your brother?"

He asked quietly. Daryl whimpered and shrugged

"S-Said he'd be right back,"

He stammered. Rick walked over to Daryl and pushed a kiss to his lips; running a hand down his side before slipping it up his shirt. Daryl jerked away from the touch

"Stop,"

He yelped. Rick's eyes narrowed and he dug his fingers painfully into Daryl's stomach; causing the pregnant man to freeze

"No, please, don't hurt it,"

He begged; eyes watering. Rick moved his hand to cup Daryl's unresponsive member through his pants, Daryl whimpered and silently pleaded for Rick to stop, but otherwise did nothing as Rick slipped his hand into his pants and fondled his soft manhood. Daryl choked a pleasure filled whimper; after not having any form of sexual gratification in over 8 months, he was feeling pent up and eager for release. He grabbed Rick's biceps and moan wantonly as said man squeezed his hardening cock

"Ya like that?"

He purred. Daryl whimpered and nodded

"Y-Yeah, it feels so good,"

He choked; guilt, humiliation and shame bubbling up in his chest. Rick kissed and nibbled on Daryl's neck as he pushed his hand further into his pants and prodded his middle finger against Daryl's entrance. Daryl yelped and the situation came crashing back down on him and he started trying to wriggle away from Rick

"Wait, no, please stop,"

He pleaded. Rick growled and shoved the finger into Daryl; who yelped in pain and stilled. He choked as tears fell from his eyes and streamed down his face; under any normal circumstance Daryl could have fought Rick off, but Rick was threatening Daryl's unborn child, and that wasn't a risk Daryl was willing to take. Daryl closed his eyes; a string of pleas for Rick to stop pouring out of his mouth, although they fell on deaf ears. He stayed fairly still; allowing Rick to have his way, with his eyes closed and now 3 fingers shoved inside him, he hadn't noticed Merle return until Rick was off of him and pinned to a wall with a blade to his throat

"You sick, crazy-ass son of a bitch!"

Merle roared; the blade of his right hand knife cutting into Rick's skin. Daryl went completely still with shock; Merle fully intended to kill Rick right now, and Daryl wasn't sure if he wanted to stop him. It was only when he saw blood trickle down Rick's neck that he stood up and grabbed Merle's right arm

"No, don't!"

He shrieked just as Merle was about to slice Rick's throat. Merle didn't seem to hear him; the only thing keeping Rick alive being Daryl's iron grip on Merle's arm. Daryl hugged Merle's arm and frantically shook his head

"No, please don't; if you kill him they'll kick you out, please don't,"

He pleaded desperately. The blind rage seemed to fade somewhat from Merle's eyes; making him somewhat more level headed, but he was still fuming. Rick was breathing heavily; whether that was out of fear or rage was unknown to Daryl, but he didn't care right now. Back on the rooftop, Rick had caught Merle off guard, and Merle hadn't been really angry, like he was right now; Rick didn't stand a chance. Daryl nuzzled Merle's neck affectionately before kissing his cheek

"Please don't,"

He begged softly.

"I need you,"

He added. Merle glanced down at him briefly before going back to glaring daggers at Rick. Daryl whimpered when Merle started fighting against his hold again; trying to sink the blade into Rick's throat. Daryl felt a sudden sharp pain in his lower abdomen, he winced but chose to ignore it; it happened sometimes. Until it happened again; this time painful enough to make him yelp and stagger backwards. Merle's attention on Rick shattered like glass and he turned to Daryl; worry clear on his face

"What's wrong, you okay?"

He panicked when he saw Daryl clutching at his stomach. Daryl cried out when the pain came again; at first he didn't know what this was, or what was happening. Was the baby okay, was it hurt, was he hurt? Then it hit him like the sharp pains he was getting in his loins; he was going into labor.


	14. Labor

Chapter 13: Labor

Daryl let out a pained cry as he leaned against the wall; desperately clutching at his stomach. Merle stared at him in fear; Rick wore a similar expression. Daryl panted heavily before crying out from another sharp pain

"M-Merle,"

He started. Merle cleared his throat

"Y-yeah?"

He stammered brokenly. Daryl looked up at him

"G-Get Hershel; the baby's comin',"

He informed before yelping again. Merle went white

"O-Oh, oh shit,"

He stammered. Rick smacked him on the back of his head

"Get it together; now's not the time to freeze up, your brother needs you,"

He scolded. Merle choked on his words before nodding

"R-Right,"

He shuddered before running off to get Hershel. Rick took a step towards Daryl

"You stay away from me!"

Daryl snapped; Rick froze on spot as Daryl sat down. Michonne walked in

"What's up with Merle; I've never seen him so spooked?"

She asked. Rick shakily pointed to Daryl

"B-Baby's comin',"

He stated. Michonne look at Daryl; eyes wide

"Oh shit,"

She breathed before walking over to him; putting her hand on his stomach.

"Yup, baby's definitely coming,"

She commented

"You okay, preggo?"

She asked. Daryl whimpered and yelped

"Hurts,"

He whined. She reached up and rubbed his shoulder

"I know; trust me, I know,"

She soothed as Merle came back with Hershel.

"Bring him; we'll need more room to do this, Maggie and Carol will have to help me. Michonne bring Daryl, Rick get the girls,"

He ordered. Merle leaned against the wall and swallowed thickly as Rick ran off to do his job; Michonne slowly helped Daryl to his feet and looked at Merle

"You okay?"

She asked. He stuck a thumb up but didn't turn to look at her; she smiled and helped Daryl out of the cell, Merle turned to Hershel

"H-He'll be okay, right?"

He asked. Hershel shrugged slightly

"Can't say until he's had the baby; now I can't have you in the room, you'd just get in the way,"

He informed before hobbling after Michonne. Merle breathed a shaky sigh and sat down; head in hands, what if Daryl didn't make it? He let out a quiet, fearful whimper before chewing on his thumb; a bad habit he'd picked up recently. Beth peaked in; holding Judith

"You okay, Merle?"

She asked. He looked up at he and nodded

"Yeah, just worried,"

He was in no mood to defend his masculinity; he was damn worried, and willing to admit it. Daryl might die going through this, and if Daryl died Merle would have to take care of the baby on his own. Sure his mom and dad hadn't been the prime care givers, but they'd still been there when Merle didn't know what to do. Beth sat next to him and handed him Judith, he took the baby and looked down at her before smiling

"Hey girl,"

He greeted. She giggled and babbled; reaching up to grab at him. He chuckled and rocked her gently before jerking and looking up when he heard a shrill scream come from where they'd taken Daryl. Beth immediately put her hand on Merle's shoulder

"We don't have anythin' to numb him; so he can feel every cut,"

She explained. Merle cleared his throat and looked back down at Judith; who was now holding his finger in her gently grip and chewing on it. He chuckled slightly

"Ya sure ya wanna be doin' that; you don't know where my hands've been,"

He pointed out. She giggled and just continued chewing

"Glad to know ya think I'm funny,"

He sighed; rocking her gently again. She hummed and closed her eyes; Merle listened to breathing even out before handing the sleeping infant back over to Beth. She smiled and gladly took Judith

"It's a caesarean, so it shouldn't take too long,"

She assured before walking away to put Judith to bed. Merle lied down and chewed his bottom lip; not that long, right. He nodded and closed his eyes; waiting for someone to come get him.

However, about 3 to 4 hours later Merle was up and passing; this wasn't 'not that long'. Had something happened, were there complications, was the baby okay, was Daryl ok? So many scenarios were going through Merle's head; each more terrifying than the last. Michonne had come to sit with him a while ago and was trying to calm him down.

"It's a complicated procedure; and they're doing it on a male,"

She tried to comfort. Merle shook his head

"I don't care; all they're doin' is cuttin' him open, how long can that take!"

He panicked. Michonne got up and stood in front of him to stop his pacing

"You need to calm down; I'm sure he's fine, if something had happened they'd have told you by now,"

She pointed out. Merle snorted

"No they wouldn't; in case you forgot, everyone here hates me,"

He reminded. Michonne rolled her eyes

"They don't hate you, they just don't trust you, and even if they did hate you, I highly doubt they'd withhold the death of either your child or your brother,"

She assured. Merle whimpered quietly and covered his face with his hand, Michonne stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck

"It's okay; I know you're worried,"

She soothed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her shoulder affectionately, she chuckled and rubbed his back and head

"Don't worry; it'll be okay,"

She soothed. Merle sighed and pulled away; Michonne letting go as he did

"Daryl's tough; he can take this,"

She assured. Merle nodded

"I know; just…. Worried,"

He shrugged. Michonne nodded and stroked his cheek

"I know you are; I'm worried too,"

She reminded with a gentle smile. He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

He started. She nodded

"Anything to keep your mind off stuff,"

She chuckled. Merle pulled back

"The kid, on the chance Daryl doesn't make it; or if we both end up dyin', could you take care of it?"

He asked. Michonnes' eyes widened

"Like a godmother?"

She asked. Merle nodded

"Yeah, like a godmother,"

He agreed. Michonne let out a breathy chuckle before smiling

"Yeah, I will,"

She promised; touching Merle's shoulder. Merle smiled and nodded

"Thank you,"

He mumbled kindly. Merle looked up at the door to see Maggie, he frowned

"Is he-…?"

The words died on his tongue. Maggie looked to the floor

"Come on,"

She mumbled. Merle let out a very shaky breath before following Maggie to the room they'd taken Daryl.


End file.
